A battle through Time
by RubyTuesday7
Summary: Every FFwriter must do at least 1 time travel fic, right? Well, during the final Battle, Voldemort realizes he can win so he evokes old magic to travel back in time and kill James and Lily Potter before Harry can be born. Luckily, Harry and Hermione follow him and, while protecting the pair of Griffindors, find love. M/Slash, HP/SS, HG/?
1. Chapter 1

A vicious beam of light sprung from Harry's wand, the beam shattering through his opponents weak shield and striking him in the chest. Voldemort let a muffled oath slip through his thin, snakelike lips as the curse caused his right shoulder, clavicle and scapular to splinter into a million pieces, rendering his wand-arm useless. The serpentine man switched his wand to his slightly weaker left arm, throwing up a shield just in time to block Harry's next spell. With weakening magical reserves and numerous injuries, Voldemort knew he would not be victorious if he continued on his current route, and so he started implementing Plan B. With half his mind on maintaining a shield best he could, he used his dwindling reserve of magic to cast a rare spell that he had never seen cast, but had read about while a spirit in Albania. Unlike most spells, it did not require what was considered 'taught' magic, but an innate command of magic that Voldemort only just possessed.

Gripping his wand tightly, Voldemort began the chant that had to be repeated three times for a successful casting. "_Magia audi me, convertam tempus. Viginti anni, tempus eget turpis. Averte tempus, donc fiat, fiat_." Harry, recognising the Latin words, knew that the spell could not be interrupted now that Voldemort had started chanting, and instead set about for following his enemy. Sorting through his Occulmised brain, Harry found his mind-link with his sister, sending a quick message that she needed to find him instantly. Sensing her confirmation, Harry cut the link once more so he could concentrate on another mind like, this one running to the sentient magic of Hogwarts. Numbly, Harry ask the castle for its help, knowing full well that he could simply command it to do as he said but preferring to have the school on amiable terms. Luckily, the castle was quite enamoured with him, and the agreement was instantaneous.

Zoning on his opponent, Harry listened as Voldemort repeated the chant once more. "_Magia audi me, convertam tempus. Viginti anni, tempus eget turpis. Averte tempus, donc fiat, fiat_." Knowing that in mere moments he could complete the ritual and disappear into the past, Harry surveyed the Quidditch pitch for his sister's curly-haired head, sighing in relief when he saw he a mere meter or two away. As she reached his side, Voldemort complete the spell; "_Magia audi me, convertam tempus. Viginti anni, tempus eget turpis. Averte tempus, donc fiat, fiat_." As unadulterated magic swirled around him, the snake-faced villain uttered a chilling laugh, smirking at Harry. "Not so clever now, are you boy? If I cant kill you, I will simply kill your parents before you were even born. Forget the Boy-Who-Lived, you wont even exist." Cackling madly, Voldemort vanished in a cloud of magic, leaving Harry and Hermione holding hands in the middle of a battle ground. A few moments later, Hogwarts' magic latched onto the pair, dragging them along with their mortal opponents through time. Members of the light and dark side alike could only stop and stare for a few moments as their respective leaders disappeared, returning twenty years into the past.

~-~-~-(***)-~-~-~

James Potter soared victoriously thought the clouds, cheering along with his team and house mates as he shook the recently-caught snitch above his head. Zooming over the crowds, his eyes connected with Lily Evans. His joy dissipated slightly as, instead of jumping up and down and cheering like the Griffindor next to her, Lily simply shook her head, clenching a book to her chest. So involved in his thoughts of the green-eyed Griffindor, James missed the sudden appearance of a pale, nose-less man on the Quidditch pitch, followed a few seconds later by two blood-splattered teens. However, not even he could fail to notice the alarmingly bright green light that shot towards him, the death-spell missing by less than a meter. Screaming ensued as students from all four housed attempted to flee the pitch, but James found himself frozen in shock.

Luckily for him, the black haired man intercepted before a second curse could follow. "RIDDLE" the youth shouted, "this has gone on for to long." Without uttering a word, the man sent curse after curse at the reptilian man striking him more than 50% of the time. The other man - Riddle - sent back curses best he could but with limited success. While her partner fought, the brunette girl ran towards the stands, looking for someone in particular. Clearly spotting her goal, the woman aimed for the Griffindor section and, with surprising speed, made her way towards Lily Evans. Latching on to the red-heads arm, the new woman dragged her from the stands before raising her wand and pointing it towards James. He flinched, expecting another curse, but the brunette cast an _accio_ instead, sending James flying towards her. Gruffly, she tugged him off his broom, muttering "We are here to help, just stick with me."

James snorted – he was hardly about to stay with a lunatic woman who appeared out of nowhere, covered in blood, with a man who knew some incredibly dangerous magic. The moment her back was turned, James took off, sprinting towards the castle. At this, the woman let out a vicious oath, raising her wand to call him back. The dark haired man, hearing his partners curse, glanced at her for a few moments, and this was all the opportunity his opponent needed. Raising his gnarled wand, the serpentine man sent one last curse shooting not at the dark-haired man but at James, before taking the few steps needed to leave Hogwarts grounds and apparated away. James flinched as the spell shot towards him and was shocked when no contact was made. Opening his eyes, the Griffindor saw the dark-haired man lowering his partner to the ground, trying desperately to staunch the flow of blood from her chest. The spell, _venenato laminis, _was incredibly dark and would send poisoned blades flying at ones opponent. Its darkness was due to the fact that the poison was considered deadly.

James could not help but feel guilty – his unnecessary attempt at escape had cause this; had given the snakey man enough time to send a curse at him that a complete stranger had intercepted, saving his life. With the whole school watching, the blood-covered man clenched the blade in his hand, yanking it from the woman's chest. The women twitched, blood spilling from her lips. "Come on 'Mione, you cant do this to me." Reaching towards his belt, the dark-haired man pulled out a vial of something cloudy and a muggle syringe. Quickly filling the syringe with the liquid, the man plunged it into her thigh, depressing the needle so that the liquid would enter her blood stream. It was for nought – a few more shaky breaths passed before the woman's movements ceased, her heart stopping before the liquid could dissipate. "Nooo..." moaned the unknown man, moving in a state of frenzy.

Quickly he placed his hands on her chest, pumping it four times evenly before pinching her nose and breathing into her open mouth. "If I can just get the tears to dissipate..." he paused to breathe for her once more before he resumed pumping her chest. "... she'll be fine." he complete the cycle once more before Lily approached him. "Let me help." she murmured, taking his place at the girls head and breathing after every four beats. The pair complete the cycle twice more before the liquid – tears, the man had called them – reached her heart, starting it beating once more. After a few moments, a gasping breath shuddered through her lips, coughing blood from her lungs. The man let out a shaky, celebratory laugh, clutching the woman's hand in his as her looked at Lily, sincerely thanking her. A few moments later, the wound healed itself, and the woman sat up with a groan. "Shit, Harry," she laughed, "this is the last one of your 'adventures' I agree to." The dark-haired man – Harry - laughed too, embracing the woman for a moment or two before standing up and looking around.

Surveying the grounds, he seemed unsurprised to see that the whole school was watching him, instead simply turning to Professor McGonagall. "Minerva," he said jovially, nodding his head. "Is Albus here?" For a moment the Professor simply stuttered, shocked at he strangers casual address. "The headmaster is not here at the moment. Who, may I ask, are you?" The man grinned at her before raising his wand. At once, the entire staff responded, training their respective wands on him. Shaking his head, her proceeded to cast a spell anyway, silently summoning his Patronus. A dementor-shaped bundle of magic appeared, which the man spoke to. "Go find Albus. Tell him that he needs to meet me in the Hospital wing, ASAP." With that the dementor Patronus zoomed away and the man turned to where his partner still sat on the Quidditch Pitch. Reaching out one hand, he helped her to stand and the caught her as her legs failed beneath her. In a practised motion that spoke of inner strength and hidden muscles, he swung her up into his arms, walking off towards the castle. Halfway there he turned back to McGonagall. "Well, are you coming?"

With a sigh, the Professor gave up and simply followed the strange, dangerous young man carrying a beautiful young woman.

A.N. I am warning all reader now, as anyone who has read any of my other stories will know, I am truly awful at updating regularly. That being said, I am currently on March Break and I have a pretty relaxed school year from now until end-of-year exams. So, I promise to do better with updating this story than I have others.

Read and Review


	2. Chapter 2

2.

The hospital wing was strangely silent. The two strange new people were sharing a hospital bed; the woman was reclined in it while the man sat at the foot of the bed. They had been waiting a few minutes for Albus to arrive and, through some sort of silent agreement, everyone was holding their questions until he got there. In the silence, James took the opportunity to observe the pair.

They were both about 10 years older than him, in their late 20's, he guessed. The woman was short and petite, with curly auburn hair that was neither brown nor red. Her eyes where currently closed, but earlier he had noticed they were a deep brown. She was dressed in what he assumed was battle gear: black dragon hide trousers and bodice, both capable of deflecting magic and blades (to some extent, at least) while still allowing for flexibility, covered in a light robe that, if James had to guess, was acromantula silk, an incredibly strong and light fabric. She was splattered with mud and what looked suspiciously like blood, piquing James' curiosity.

The man was dressed much the same, except his robe had a crest embroidered in the back – a golden phoenix rising out of green flames, inscribed underneath were the words _For the Greater Good. _The clothing, and the stains of mud and blood, was where all similarities ended between the two. He was tall, a good half-a-head taller than James, with a body of lean, sinewy muscle. His face was dominated by hard, jade green eyes and a scar that ran from his hairline, through one eyebrow and down his sharp cheek, narrowly missing his right eye. Messy black hair, crusted with muck, rose from his head. Overall, where the woman had a comforting, safe aura, his was strong and dangerous, setting James' teeth on edge.

James' musings were interrupted when the Headmaster strode into the Infirmary. His usually benign face was drawn in a wary frown as he aimed his wand as the pair on the bed. "Who are you?" he barked, alarmed by their bloody appearance. The man spoke first. "I am Harry. This is Hermione. How are you, Albus?" The elder wizard ignored the question, countering it with one of his own. "I am told that you simply appeared on the Quidditch pitch. Care to tell me how you did that?" "Well," the younger man drawled, "we just asked Hogwarts." Before Albus could ask another question, the woman – Hermione – interrupted. "We! 'We', he says. **You** asked her, I was simply dragged along on another one of your adventures."

The man – Harry – simply offered a sheepish smile, to which she scoffed. "Headmaster, perhaps we should relocate to your office. Your pensieve may come in handy right now." Albus found himself nodding in agreement, despite his intention of opposing any wishes of the two young intruders. Harry stood, once more scooping Hermione up in his arms, knowing full well that she was still too weak to stand. "You lead, we will follow." he told the headmaster, pausing only to collect a few generalised pain potions.

Dumbledore was about to refuse when his words were dulled by a trilling bird song. Fawkes soared into the room, circling until Harry shifted Hermione so that he could hold her on his hip with one arm, and thrust out his other arm. "Get down here, you bloody pigeon." With an affronted sounding trill, the bird flew down to land on his forearm, nuzzling his golden head into the man's chin. "Yes, yes, I missed you too," Harry told the phoenix laughingly, causing it to coo and shift to ride on his shoulder, allowing him to carry the woman – Hermione – in two hands once more.

Glancing up and noticing the whole hospital wing staring at him, Harry nodded his head towards the infirmary door. "Shall we?" he asked, jolting Dumbledore from his daze. The headmaster straightened regally and stood aside, indicating for Harry and Hermione to precede him as he did not trust the two strangers behind his back. Harry merely rolled his eyes and strode out into the hallway, Hermione cradled silently in his arms. A quick peek told Harry the reason for her silence – the effort of the last few days had finally taken its toll, forcing her to sleep.

The trip was made in silence until they arrived at the Headmaster's eagle-shaped gargoyle. Dumbledore made to cast a privacy barrier so he could utter his password in secrete, but before he could, Harry acted. Making sure Hermione was safe in his arms, he lent forwards, pressing his forehead against the giant eagle's chest for a few moments. Without warning, the revolving staircase started to turn, causing Dumbledore's eyes to narrow. Just how had the young man done that?

Before he could answer that question, the staircase stopped turning with a jerk. Harry paused, letting Dumbledore open the door instead of juggling Hermione to do so himself. Carefully, he placed the sleeping woman into one of the soft chairs available for guests, turning his back on Albus, who was sitting behind the desk. Crouching down, he shook her shoulder lightly. "Mione, sweetheart, you need to wake up for just a moment." Faster than Dumbledore could have believed given the fact that she had failed to wake for the whole trip from the infirmary, the woman was awake and holding her wand at Harry's neck. After a split second she lowered the wand. "Sorry Harry." Though he could not see the man's face, Dumbledore could hear the smile in his voice as he assuaged her guilt. "Don't be, I thank Merlin for you good reflexes. You need to drink these, sweetheart, then you can go back to sleep." The young woman looked at the potions in his hand for a few moments, checking what they were based on their colour, then downed them one by one. Barely a second after she handed back the empty vials, Hermione was asleep once more.

Tucking the drained glasses into his pocket, Harry turned to face the Headmaster. Rather than slouching into one of the seats as he would of as a student, Harry stood strong and guarded, the stance of a warrior. "So, you must have some questions Albus. Will pensieve memories suffice?" The older man inclined his head slightly, signalling his agreement. With a wave of his hand, the wall hiding the stone-set pensive retracted, revealing the granite bowl and shelves of silvery liquid. Harry didn't even blink an eyelid at the older man's subtle display of power, simply raising his wand to his temple and closing his green eyes. Carefully, he extracted the memory, making his way across the room and placing it in the bowl.

The older man hesitated at the edge of the bowl, looking at Harry with wary eyes. Harry intuitively understood the problem, raising his wand once more. "I, Harry Potter, do swear that I will not harm Albus Dumbledore while he occupied by the pensieve. So it will be." A brief flash of white light sealed the oath and Dumbledore inclined his head in gratitude before immersing himself in the basin. Turning to face Hermione and Fawkes, Harry let a smirk play across his face. This Dumbledore was so much more naïve than his Dumbledore, to accept such an oath. Ignoring the point that it was void as he had used neither his nor Albus' full names, it was also specified that he would not harm the headmaster only while he viewed the memory. Indeed, the white light at the end that should have sealed the oath was simply Harry playing on a bit of Hogwarts' free magic, using it to serve his purpose.

Meandering over to Fawkes perch so he could pet the bird once more, Harry thought over the memory Dumbledore was currently viewing. By now, he would have witnessed the prophecy being told and be discovering that it could of either been the Potter's or the Longbottoms. In a moment, the elderly man would witness the demise of both families, before the memory would end. To be fair, some of the memories were other peoples memories he remembered seeing, or stories he had been told, but it would suffice.

As predicted, Albus emerged from the bowl a short while later. Turning to find Harry petting the phoenix, Dumbledore's voice was laced with a tone of amazement. "You are the Potter child, no? James and Lily... the poor children." For a few seconds, silence reigned while Dumbledore settled his mind and Harry supplied the time for him to do so. Finally, the white-haired wizard spoke. "That's why you protected them today, right? You have to kill Voldemort and if they die... so do you... so will all of us." Harry made a slight sound of agreement before turning to face the older man once more. "Yes. Tom decided that if he could not kill me, he would simply make it so that I never existed. Somehow, he sent himself back in time 20 years. Hermione and I had to return to protect James and Lily, else the war thus far would be for naught." Dumbledore nodded, quickly assimilating the information. "Will you and your partner will need to stay here to protect them? I am not sure how I could explain two random people living on school grounds to the board of directors." Harry mulled it over for a few moments before arriving on a surprisingly simple solution. "Well, Hermione and I are both 19, but neither of us had the opportunity to to finish 7th year. We will simply be transfer students who unfortunately arrived late in the school year for family reasons."

Dumbledore immediately settled on the most immediate flaw. "How will we explain the events of this afternoon? The whole school saw what I have been told was a most remarkable battle." Harry smirked in a decidedly Slytherin way. "Leave that to me. I will clear that up at dinner tonight, then Hermione and I can sleep in the infirmary and 'arrive' and be sorted in the morning." Dumbledore nodded before pointing out another flaw. "You will need different names. You can hardly remain Harry Potter without suspicions flying." Harry chewed his bottom lip before offering a suggestion. "Harry and Hermione Mercuria. If we change our first names we will no doubt forget to respond – it is better like this. We will be siblings, orphaned and raised by relatives. Any other problems?"

Dumbledore shook his head. "Welcome to Hogwarts, Mr. Mercuria." Harry smirked. "Thank you, headmaster. If you would excuse us, it has been some time since I last rested and a check up with Poppy with not be remiss for myself or my sister." Dumbledore nodded in agreement, opening the door with a wave of his hand.

It was only after Harry had scooped up Hermione, who was snoring lightly, and made his way to the doorway that a truly worrying thought occurred to the headmaster of a school full of teenagers. "If you got sent back in time 20 years, and you are currently 19, that means you are conceived this year! In school!" Harry laughed lightly at the old man's panicked tone at the thought of teenagers having sex. "No, no, Hermione and I both dabbled slightly in time travel. It aged us both an additional year each. Don't worry, I was conceived well after my parents were married." Harry swept out of the room but his laughter could still be heard.

"As if that would be the worst of his worries," the young man's chortle was barely audible to the aging headmaster, but he felt himself blush with embarrassment all the same.

A/n: Mercuria is, according to Mr. Google (as my French teacher calls Google translate), Latin for Luck or Mercury. I thought this suited Harry well, both for his infamous lucky streak and his somewhat mercurial temper.


	3. Chapter 3

3.

Severus Snape ducked behind the statue of Mildura the Hag, brushing back his long, black hair out of his face so that he could spy on his quarry. The tall, dark-haired man cradled the brunette woman in his arms, walking in the direction of the hospital wing. Severus assumed that they were not to dangerous – for the students, at least, as they obviously both knew some powerful magic – since they had left Dumbledore's office intact. Reaching Madame Pomphery's domain, the pair slid inside with Severus close behind them. From the darkness he watched as the man lay the sleeping woman down on a bed and, though she clung to his cloak with persistent fingers, took a step away from her. He then cast a spell on her silently, cleaning her from the blood and dirt that covered the both of them.

Severus jumped when the young man spoke out. "Madame Pomphery, can you heal her while I bathe? Albus has permitted us to spend the night here, but I will need to clean off as I must address the student body later." The stern, young Medi-witch looked him over closely and Severus could not help but sympathise with the man. Though Madame Pomphery was almost fresh out of Med-school – only 25 years old – she was a fantastic healer but incredibly strict. The young man had no chance.

Unsurprisingly, she disapproved of the man's plan to shower, pursing her lips and shaking her head. "Harry," she began, having been in the room when he introduced himself earlier to Albus. "You are too badly injured. Honestly, I am surprised you're not dead, let alone still able to walk around, carrying people. Sit down and I will cast a cleaning charm on you."

Harry grinned and shook his head. "I have been living on cleaning charms for too long now. I swore that after this battle I would have a proper bath, one way or another." Madame Pomphery must have been just as confused as Severus because she then asked "What do you mean, one way or another?" "Well," Harry began, speaking calmly as if it was the most obvious thing in the world "either I would be successful, and finally have the time to bathe or... it is customary to bathe the dead before burial."

Madame Pomphery stared at him in shock for a moment or two, taken aback by his blasé attitude towards his own potential death. Harry took full advantage of her shock and patted her on the shoulder, murmured "Thanks" and took off towards the bathrooms. The sight of him leaving shook her from her stupor. "Fine" she called, "but leave to door open so I can check on you. Given some of the spells you've been hit with, I wouldn't be surprised to find you unconscious, drowning in the bathtub.

The young man turned back with a grin that made Severus' heart thump louder. "You're a doll, Madame Pomphery." Said Medi-witch harrumphed at his cheek only to turn to the young unconscious woman with a small grin on her face that was only just visible to Severus where he his in the shadows. With detached curiosity he watched as Madame Pomphery covered her patient with a sheet, then sent a spell towards the sleeping woman that caused her clothing to slide off her body and into a pile on the table next to the bed.

When the Medi-witch started shooting a myriad of healing spells towards the woman, Severus crept across the room to the open door where he could hear water running. The sizable bathroom was filled with steam, allowing Severus to remain unseen. When the dark haired man came into view – or his silhouette, at least, through the shower curtain – Severus felt an ache inside of his ease. He was unsure why but the moment he had seen the pair of strangers he had been drawn to Harry like metal to a lodestone. Having been dragged along to the Griffindor vs. Hufflepuff Quidditch match by Rudolphous Lestrange, who, as one of Slytherins chasers, had wanted to watch the Griffindor strategy, Severus had witnessed the mysterious appearance of the two strangers as well as the ensuing events. From the instant he had seen the pair, a undeniable link had formed between him and Harry that would not ease until Severus found himself in the same room, alone with a very wet, naked, powerful Harry Potter.

Said powerful wizard let out a deep sigh at the feeling of the warm water hitting his tired muscles. With a groan that when straight to Severus' groin, he soaped up his dirty body, watching the water turn a murky red-brown colour as it ran off his body. Once he was clean he stretched his back, cracking the joints, before all of a sudden sprouting large wings from his shoulder blades. Unable to help himself, Severus let out a gasp of surprise. Somehow, Harry's keen hearing must have picked up the sound over that of the flowing water as he quickly called "Who's there? Madame Pomphery?" Severus stood frozen still, debating between staying still and silent, or making more noise as he fled. Choosing to stay, he almost immediately regretted his decision when Harry pulled back the shower curtain a second later.

Through the clearing steam their eyes connected for a few seconds – it was like pure electricity running between them. The next moment, Severus turned and ran as fast as he could., sprinting out of the hospital wing, aiming for the three consecutive flights of stairs that would lead to the dungeon, where he could take safety hiding in his dorm room. Later, as he struggled to regain his breath and calm his racing heart before any of the Slytherins took advantage of his frazzled state, only one thought ran through Severus' head.

_What the hell just happened?_

~-~-~-(***)-~-~-~

Meanwhile, a few levels higher up, Harry Potter stared with a bemused expression at the spot that Severus had only just vacated. Inside, he purred lightly at he fact that, even now, his mate was drawn to him like a moth to a flame. Then reality caught up: he was in the past to protect his parents and kill Voldemort, not claim the 17-year-old version of his mate. Stepping out of the shower he dried off his full body, from the top of his head, to the tips of his wings, to the smallest toe. Relishing in the feeling of finally being clean, he wrapped a towel around his waist and left the bathroom.

Making his way into the main part of the wing, he dropped his towel and slid, naked, between the sheets of the bed next to Hermione's. Grabbing his wand, he quickly cast a ward that would only allow Madame Pomphery through, set a magical timer to wake him up in time for his appearance in the Great Hall, then fell into a light, uneasy sleep.

His sleep was not, unfortunately, dream free. Once he woke up, he was unable to recount what exactly had happened, he only knew that he had been very afraid. Shaking off the feeling, he quickly conjured up some new clothes and got dressed. After applying stronger wards around Hermione he left the hospital ward, fully taking advantage of Madame Pomphery's distraction in her office. With a practised ease he made his way to the Great Hall, silently marvelling at how pristine and undamaged Hogwarts was. _You look beautiful my dear,_ he thought to the castle. Smiling at its pleased sounding purr, Harry strode confidently into the Great Hall, making his way to the raised up dais where the teachers sat.

Leaning over the table, he murmured to Albus "slight change of plans. Instead of starting school tomorrow, we will spend it in the Hospital Wing resting. I don't think Hermione is going to wake up any time soon and, personally, I could use a good rest. We will go to Diagon Alley the day after, then be introduced to the school properly, as students, the day after that. That is, of course, with your approval?" Dumbledore, realising that it wasnt really a question at all, immediately agreed. "Good, good" Harry muttered, pleased, before turning to face the students.

"Ladies and Gentlemen, can I have your attention please?"

A/N. Heads up. This is a WIP and, as I find myself approaching my last year of school (2nd year of IBDP), updates are going to be pretty erratic. For those of you who know the IB program, I am finding the demands of the EE and IA's a bit more difficult than anticipated. That being said, I will do my best to continue updating – it will definitely NOT be abandoned. Thanks for your continued support. RubyTuesday7.


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